FDA Keeps Consumers in the Dark about Newly Approved GE Salmon

For Immediate ReleaseNovember 19, 2015

FDA Keeps Consumers in the Dark about Newly Approved GE Salmon

WASHINGTON –The Food and Drug Administration’s decision to approve the sale of genetically modified salmon underscores the need for a national, mandatory standard for the disclosure of genetically engineered foods and ingredients (GMOs). The decision marks the first time a genetically modified animal has been cleared for human consumption.

“The decision to approve GMO salmon without a mandatory disclosure is yet another example of how FDA’s outdated policy keeps consumers in the dark,” said Scott Faber, executive director of Just Label It. “Consumers will have no way of knowing whether the salmon they are buying comes from nature or comes from a lab. It makes sense to give consumers the right to know and to choose whether this fish, or any other food that contains GMO ingredients, is right for their dinner table.”

The FDA announcement includes recommendations for voluntary labeling of GMO and non-GMO foods, but experience has shown that given a choice, companies will not do so. Food producers have been allowed to use labels disclosing the presence of GMOs since 2001, but not one has chosen to act.

“A non-judgmental, factual disclosure of the presence of GMOs is all we are asking for,” Faber added. “FDA’s continued reliance on voluntary labeling schemes will only further consumer confusion. It’s time the federal government trusted American consumers enough to make their own decisions about this novel technology.”